


Childhood promises

by elletromil



Series: Stockings by the fireplace [15]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ficlet, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Same age Merlin and Eggsy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-09 19:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17412764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil/pseuds/elletromil
Summary: Eggsy shouldn't be wasting his only call on someone who probably won't pick up. And yet, that's precisely what he's about to do.





	Childhood promises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hepcatliz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hepcatliz/gifts).



> Merry belated Christmas!
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this small gift! It was such a great idea I knew I had to write it! Hope you had an amazing time during the holidays :D!

Eggsy stares at the phone in his hands, undecided.

He gets only one call after all, he better not waste it.

Not that he got a lot of options anyway. He’s just a kid from the estates, it’s not like he’s got the number of a lawyer in his pocket.

The smartest thing to do would probably be to call his mum. Let her know what happened. That he’s fucked up like everything else he ever did. There’s nothing she’ll be able to do about it, but at least she’ll know he’s safe.

Locked away for a couple of years, but at least he’s not dead in a ditch somewhere in another country, far away from home. That’s gotta count for something right?

And yet, it’s not her he wants to call.

It’s stupid really. At least, he knows for sure his mum will pick up.

Merlin… He’s not even sure he’s got the same number.

And even if he did, if he were in Merlin’s shoes, he wouldn’t want to take his call.

Eggsy might not be the smartest pea in the pod, but he’s not a complete idiot either. He’s not entirely oblivious.

Merlin has gotten out of the estates. He’s got a good job now. The last time Eggsy saw him was four months ago and that got cut short when Merlin was unexpectedly called in. Or at least, that’s what he said. Eggsy wouldn’t even hold it against him if he had orchestrated it so that he could get away from him sooner.

That’s why he hasn’t contacted him since.

Merlin doesn’t have as many shitty childhood memories as Eggsy does, but he still got some of those. Eggsy doesn’t want to be the sore reminder that it wasn’t always happy for him.

Even if it hurts that Merlin has discarded him, Eggsy still loves him. Maybe they could have had something good together if he had said anything, but he hadn’t. Even if Merlin forgets all about him in a few years, to Eggsy, his friendship is still one of the best thing in his life, up there with his little sister.

So yeah. He should call his mum.

But there is also that promise they made to each other way back when they were still kids, a promise Merlin reiterated the last time they saw each other.

 _I’ll always be there for you_.

And so, even if he knows Merlin probably won’t even pick up for an unknown number, it’s him he calls in the end.

And then proceeds to stammer like the dumbass he is when Merlin picks up before the first ring is even over.

“Merlin. To whom am I speaking?”

“Wh- I- Shite, Merlin you actually picked up! It’s Eggsy, I-”

“ _Eggsy_. Of course I picked up.” He sounds genuinely confused that Eggsy has suggested he wouldn’t answer. “Is everything alright? Did anything happen? Are you okay?”

He sounds so worried and he’s kind of right to be, but mostly it makes Eggsy want to cry. He’s such a fucking disappointment and this is probably the last time he gets to speak to Merlin ever. At least the previous time, he could pretend Merlin still had some respect for him. Now he won’t.

“I- I’m fine Merls. Well, as fine as I can be before being locked up I guess. There was that fox and I- Oh fuck Merls, I don’t even know why I’m calling _you_. I’m sorry, it’s not like you can do anyt-”

“Where are you?”

“-hing to- What?”

“Where are you now Eggsy? I assume you’re at a station?”

“Y-yeah. Holborn. But I-”

“Hang tight Eggsy. You’ll be out in no time, I’ll see to it.”

The calls ends there abruptly, before he can even say ‘thank you’ or ‘goodbye’ or ‘what the fuck do you think you can do? you’re a fucking tailor!’.

But whatever Merlin thought he could do, it definitely works because not half an hour later, he’s a free man and Merlin is waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs outside the station.

He nearly goes for a kiss right there and then, but Merlin speaks before he can actually do it.

“Eggsy! I’m so happy to see you.” And the thing is, he really looks it. “What would you say to a job interview?”

“A what now?”

Merlin doesn’t answer, just leads him to a taxi and he should really insists to know what the fuck is going on, but thing is, Eggsy brains has kind of short-circuited.

Turns out, it’s very hard to care about anything when Merlin’s hand is a warm weight at the small of his back.


End file.
